Check out the timestamps below to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.
On This Episode:
It’s estimated that more than 31 million Americans have PTSD but we still don’t have a great grasp on how to support and treat those struggling with this. Today we’re going to explore anesthesia’s role in patient care with guest host Angela Mund, DNP, CRNA and Major Randy Cornelius, DNP, MBA, CRNA.
They’ll draw on their personal experience to highlight the unique considerations necessary when administering anesthesia to PTSD patients, from personalized anesthetic plans to the vital utilization of drugs like ketamine and dexmedetomidine. With their guidance, we peel back the layers of empathy and precision required to create a safe and supportive perioperative environment for these patients.
Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:
- How treating someone from the Fort Hood shooting made him aware of PTSD and the difficulty at the time providing medication for it.
- What to do and what not to do with treating an individual with PTSD.
- The different medications and treatments have been most effective.
- Understanding the pathophysiology behind PTSD.
- The criteria for being diagnosed with PTSD.
- How we can deal with the stigma of PTSD.
When you meet some people who have PTSD, they don't openly tell you and when they admit it, you can see just the anguish in their face. There's a stigma about it and I wish we really could get rid of that stigma of saying, “I have PTSD,” because if you know it and you have it, then you can be treated for it.
-Major Randy Cornelius, DNP, MBA, CRNA
